Pre-Match Report
Proactive rather than passive – Lars Ricken ahead of the second leg
Lars Ricken on the game against Atalanta:
“The win puts us in a good position, but if anyone thinks we're in a comfortable situation, they could be in for a rude awakening. Atalanta will be aggressive. It will also be heated in the small stadium. We had to work extremely hard at home to keep them away from our goal. That's why we can't make the mistake of being passive, as we did in the first half against Leipzig. We need to be proactive up front and try to score a goal, because that will calm the stadium down. We have the self-confidence and we've worked hard for it.”
… the approach:
“We know that Atalanta have one day less rest. That means we can't fall into the trap of playing cautiously, but instead we want to be proactive, play on the front foot and avoid a start like we had in Leipzig. If you concede a goal, the crowd will be incredibly loud. The match might also be quite aggressive, so we have to be absolutely focused from the first minute and probably well beyond the 90th minute.”
… the return of Emre Can and Nico Schlotterbeck:
“It's important that both of them are back now. They took part in the final training session and it's good for the group that they're on the plane. They are absolute leaders who carry the team to a certain extent. They haven't trained much yet, so Niko will decide whether they are ready to start. But in principle, it's a good sign that they are on the plane.”